At Jethro's ... [fic with meet_thunder]
Follows this.
#3 of 5
He was waiting at the front door when they pulled in. In the four hours since she’d called, he’d made a run to Target to get sheets for bunk bed that was in Daniel’s room, hit the grocery store for food - including comfort food for the boys - and stopped at the drug store for a couple of ice packs.
As the car pulled up he raced into the driveway and he had to stop for a second and catch his breath. Her left eye was almost swollen shut, a cut near her eye was oozing, and her face was caked in dried blood. She hadn’t even stopped to wash her face. Her wrist was twice the size it should be. When she glanced back over her shoulder at the boys, she winced. Both boys were asleep and she left the car idling for just a moment as she stepped out and snuggled into the arms he held out for her.
"Holy shit..." she whispered. "I just... I didn’t expect that."
"It’s okay." He stroked her back. "I’ve got you." Gently he pulled back to look at her face and tears touched his eyes. "He seems to have got you too. You okay?" Charles was lucky he lived four hours away. Gibbs was ready to kill him.
"I haven’t even noticed it yet." She tried a deep breath but caught herself and he worried. What was she hiding under her shirt? "I just had to get out, you know. He ..." she took a deep breath. "He almost crushed my hand, Leroy. I saw the boot coming down and I just ..."
"Hey," He wrapped her up again, "I’ve got you. Shhh." She was trembling and he stood there, supporting her until she pulled back again. "Let’s get the boys inside and get you something to drink." Heather turned off the car while Gibbs reached for Daniel, who was limp and tired in his arms. When she picked up James, Heather all but screamed. "What happened up there, Heather?"
"Let’s get them inside first?" She bit her lip while they walked and Jethro let her control the moment. James cuddled close to his mother as they moved inside. The boys were deposited on the bed and tucked in tightly, the bedroom door left open for when the inevitable fright reared its ugly head.
Down in the kitchen he grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and poured her a glass of scotch. Her legs gave out and she sank into a chair, pressing one of the ice packs to her cheek. "Fuck..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "I can’t believe I actually did it."
"I had been hoping it would be more peaceful than this." Realizing that standing behind her was probably not the best way to make her feel in control, Jethro settled next to her with a wet paper towel, gently wiping the streaks of blood off her hand. "What happened to set it off?"
"I’m not sure, but I think our nosy next door neighbor told on me. Things got ugly." She sighed and gestured vaguely to her face. "Obviously."
"Hey," he gently worked her hand. "It’s okay."
"No, Leroy. It’s not. The boys were terrified, absolutely terrified. Daniel almost walked in on it! He knows his father was hitting me. I don’t care about me right now. I care about the look on their faces." She took a long sip of the scotch and pulled her hand away so she could hide her face but she cried out in pain. "God, what did he do to me?"
"Looks like a pretty nasty backhand including a slice from his ring or watch right across your temple. It’s where all the blood is coming from. We should get you to a doctor, just in case you need stitches. Anyway, this needs to be documented."
"I’m not filing charges. I’m not ruining his career. Anyway, he’d never hurt the boys, Leroy."
He sighed. He wanted her to press charges. No, he wanted to kill Charles. But he also needed her to know she was in control right now so he bit his tongue. "I know. I also know that he’s going to do his best to arrange custody so that you can’t leave the state and you need any advantage you can get over him."
"I won’t let him do that to us." She sighed and turned around in the chair, wincing as she did so. "Where’s the bathroom in here again?" He pointed to the half bath off the main room and she walked over, leaving the door open as she stared at herself in the small mirror over the sink. "This place needs a woman’s touch, Leroy."
"I’ve got you for that." He leaned in the doorway, hands shoved in his pockets, feeling completely useless.
She grinned a bit but stared at her face. "God I look like the Bride of Frankenstein. I must have hit the shelf when he hit me and not even realized it."
"I’ve got some stuff upstairs. If I can’t take you to the doctor, at least let me clean you up." He held out his hand.
Heather linked their fingers. "Fair enough."
It deserved to be more awkward, her sitting on the edge of the tub while he cleaned her face and put butterfly strips over the cuts. Abby swore by this thing called Arnica so he’d picked some up at the drug store and gently, gently dabbed the cream over the bruises. "There," he said, pressing the ice pack back to her face, "as good as I can make you." Her wrist was still swollen. "Though I’m worried this is at least fractured if not broken." He put his hands on her ribs and she flinched. "What happened here?"
"The shelf supports. He threw me into them a couple of times while we were fighting. I might have slipped. God, I don’t know anymore. Sometimes I forget how big a guy he is. It’s nothing. I’m fine."
She wasn’t and he knew it, but he wasn’t going to push the issue yet. "Want to go lie down?"
"Thank you." She bit her lip and stared down at her knees. "I’m sorry for this."
"I’m just glad you got here safe."
"Don’t ever let me leave again."
"Heather," Gibbs tucked his finger under her chin and lifted her eyes to his. "That front door is open. It’s not my place to let you leave or convince you to stay. You have to want to otherwise this isn’t going to work. But as for me, I'm not going anywhere."
She shook her head. "Leroy ... I’m scared."
"That’s why I’m here." He gently pulled her to her feet and led her back into the bedroom. She stretched out on the bed, biting her lip in pain, and he knew he had to convince her to go to the ER. But she needed to calm down and he wasn’t going to push her. So he stretched out next to her and gently pulled her into his arms, letting her relax while they held each other in companionable silence. This was real now. And even with the ugliness of how it all came together, it felt right.
Continued here.
#3 of 5
He was waiting at the front door when they pulled in. In the four hours since she’d called, he’d made a run to Target to get sheets for bunk bed that was in Daniel’s room, hit the grocery store for food - including comfort food for the boys - and stopped at the drug store for a couple of ice packs.
As the car pulled up he raced into the driveway and he had to stop for a second and catch his breath. Her left eye was almost swollen shut, a cut near her eye was oozing, and her face was caked in dried blood. She hadn’t even stopped to wash her face. Her wrist was twice the size it should be. When she glanced back over her shoulder at the boys, she winced. Both boys were asleep and she left the car idling for just a moment as she stepped out and snuggled into the arms he held out for her.
"Holy shit..." she whispered. "I just... I didn’t expect that."
"It’s okay." He stroked her back. "I’ve got you." Gently he pulled back to look at her face and tears touched his eyes. "He seems to have got you too. You okay?" Charles was lucky he lived four hours away. Gibbs was ready to kill him.
"I haven’t even noticed it yet." She tried a deep breath but caught herself and he worried. What was she hiding under her shirt? "I just had to get out, you know. He ..." she took a deep breath. "He almost crushed my hand, Leroy. I saw the boot coming down and I just ..."
"Hey," He wrapped her up again, "I’ve got you. Shhh." She was trembling and he stood there, supporting her until she pulled back again. "Let’s get the boys inside and get you something to drink." Heather turned off the car while Gibbs reached for Daniel, who was limp and tired in his arms. When she picked up James, Heather all but screamed. "What happened up there, Heather?"
"Let’s get them inside first?" She bit her lip while they walked and Jethro let her control the moment. James cuddled close to his mother as they moved inside. The boys were deposited on the bed and tucked in tightly, the bedroom door left open for when the inevitable fright reared its ugly head.
Down in the kitchen he grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and poured her a glass of scotch. Her legs gave out and she sank into a chair, pressing one of the ice packs to her cheek. "Fuck..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "I can’t believe I actually did it."
"I had been hoping it would be more peaceful than this." Realizing that standing behind her was probably not the best way to make her feel in control, Jethro settled next to her with a wet paper towel, gently wiping the streaks of blood off her hand. "What happened to set it off?"
"I’m not sure, but I think our nosy next door neighbor told on me. Things got ugly." She sighed and gestured vaguely to her face. "Obviously."
"Hey," he gently worked her hand. "It’s okay."
"No, Leroy. It’s not. The boys were terrified, absolutely terrified. Daniel almost walked in on it! He knows his father was hitting me. I don’t care about me right now. I care about the look on their faces." She took a long sip of the scotch and pulled her hand away so she could hide her face but she cried out in pain. "God, what did he do to me?"
"Looks like a pretty nasty backhand including a slice from his ring or watch right across your temple. It’s where all the blood is coming from. We should get you to a doctor, just in case you need stitches. Anyway, this needs to be documented."
"I’m not filing charges. I’m not ruining his career. Anyway, he’d never hurt the boys, Leroy."
He sighed. He wanted her to press charges. No, he wanted to kill Charles. But he also needed her to know she was in control right now so he bit his tongue. "I know. I also know that he’s going to do his best to arrange custody so that you can’t leave the state and you need any advantage you can get over him."
"I won’t let him do that to us." She sighed and turned around in the chair, wincing as she did so. "Where’s the bathroom in here again?" He pointed to the half bath off the main room and she walked over, leaving the door open as she stared at herself in the small mirror over the sink. "This place needs a woman’s touch, Leroy."
"I’ve got you for that." He leaned in the doorway, hands shoved in his pockets, feeling completely useless.
She grinned a bit but stared at her face. "God I look like the Bride of Frankenstein. I must have hit the shelf when he hit me and not even realized it."
"I’ve got some stuff upstairs. If I can’t take you to the doctor, at least let me clean you up." He held out his hand.
Heather linked their fingers. "Fair enough."
It deserved to be more awkward, her sitting on the edge of the tub while he cleaned her face and put butterfly strips over the cuts. Abby swore by this thing called Arnica so he’d picked some up at the drug store and gently, gently dabbed the cream over the bruises. "There," he said, pressing the ice pack back to her face, "as good as I can make you." Her wrist was still swollen. "Though I’m worried this is at least fractured if not broken." He put his hands on her ribs and she flinched. "What happened here?"
"The shelf supports. He threw me into them a couple of times while we were fighting. I might have slipped. God, I don’t know anymore. Sometimes I forget how big a guy he is. It’s nothing. I’m fine."
She wasn’t and he knew it, but he wasn’t going to push the issue yet. "Want to go lie down?"
"Thank you." She bit her lip and stared down at her knees. "I’m sorry for this."
"I’m just glad you got here safe."
"Don’t ever let me leave again."
"Heather," Gibbs tucked his finger under her chin and lifted her eyes to his. "That front door is open. It’s not my place to let you leave or convince you to stay. You have to want to otherwise this isn’t going to work. But as for me, I'm not going anywhere."
She shook her head. "Leroy ... I’m scared."
"That’s why I’m here." He gently pulled her to her feet and led her back into the bedroom. She stretched out on the bed, biting her lip in pain, and he knew he had to convince her to go to the ER. But she needed to calm down and he wasn’t going to push her. So he stretched out next to her and gently pulled her into his arms, letting her relax while they held each other in companionable silence. This was real now. And even with the ugliness of how it all came together, it felt right.
Continued here.